Material loading into haul trucks typically involves excavators, shovels, wheel loaders, or similar material handling machines. The loading pattern of excavators and shovels typically involves rotations about two axes: horizontal for digging, vertical for movement of material to the receiving location (e.g., a haul truck). Wheel loaders typically engage in a “Y” movement for loading; this also is a rotation about a vertical axis.
Various material handling machines systems are well known in the art, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,846,152 discloses an overshot loader for autonomous operation. The loader includes ground engaging members, a machine frame attached to ground engaging members, and having a longitudinal direction from a dig end of the loader to a dump end of the loader, and a linkage assembly movably connected to and located at least partially within a longitudinal center portion of the machine frame and aligned with a transverse center of the machine frame. The linkage assembly is configured to autonomously transport a material from the dig end of the loader to the dump end of the loader, while the orientation of the linkage assembly remains substantially aligned in the longitudinal direction.
Conventional techniques of implementing material handling machines have not been effective. It is therefore desirable to provide, among other things, an improved material handling machine.